Closing an airport without a guaranteed transit link to the mainland strands island residents and visitors. What happens to the ferry capacity if we add millions of park visitors on top of current commuters.

The opportunity cost argument is strong but ignores that Toronto already has the Leslie Street Spit and Tommy Thompson Park. We need to prove Island Commons wouldn't just duplicate what we already have, just more expensive.

This is exactly the kind of visionary project Toronto needs. Berlin turned Tegel into a research park and Berliners love it. We could unlock 200 acres of waterfront access for millions who've never set foot on the islands.

Every day this land stays an airport, low-income communities and people of color are blocked from the waterfront while the wealthy fly over their heads. Converting to a park is a racial and economic justice issue.

I hear the tension between fiscal reality and civic vision. But maybe we can bridge it by looking at Denver's Stapleton model: phased redevelopment that funds parks through adjacent development. That might satisfy both the cost concerns and the equity goals.